This banana bread with streusel topping is made with tender banana bread topped with a crumbly and buttery cinnamon streusel.
Banana bread is already a favorite, it’s soft, comforting, and packed with rich banana flavor. But when you top it with a buttery cinnamon streusel, it becomes something else entirely.
The inside stays tender and moist, thanks to the ripe bananas and sour cream, while the top forms this golden, crumbly layer that adds just the right crunch.
The contrast in textures is part of what makes it so good, soft and fluffy inside, slightly crisp on top. And the flavor? You get that mellow banana base with warm hints of brown sugar and cinnamon in every bite.
It’s the kind of thing you make once and then wonder why you haven’t been adding streusel all along. Also, great for using up ripe bananas that are about to go bad!
For more banana bread recipes, check out my chocolate chip banana bread, tahini banana bread, biscoff banana bread, and our almond flour banana bread.
Jump to:
Why this recipe works
- Texture- It’s the perfect combo of soft, moist banana bread with a crisp, crumbly streusel on top. Every bite gives you contrast, and it works so well.
- Flavor- This incredible banana bread has a rich banana flavor with warm cinnamon and brown sugar notes throughout. It’s sweet but not too sweet, just right.
- Streusel Topping- The buttery and crunchy cinnamon topping adds a bakery-style twist that adds texture and flavor without much extra effort.
- One-Bowl Recipe- The banana bread batter comes together in just one bowl and uses a whisk. There is no need for an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Also little dishes to wash!
- Perfect for Any Time- This banana bread is perfect for breakfast, snack, dessert, late-night treat, it somehow fits all of them. It’s that versatile and satisfying.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Ripe bananas- use ripe bananas for this recipe! Ripe bananas are sweeter, moister, and easier to mash into a pudding consistency.
If you don’t have ripe bananas, bake regular bananas in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 10 minutes, this will soften the bananas and make them into a ripe banana texture.
Flour– I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda – to allow the banana bread to rise. You will need a teaspoon of baking soda.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great.
Sugar- I used granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar instead of granulated sugar.
Cinnamon and nutmeg- This is optional, but it adds a depth of flavor to this cake and complements the banana flavor perfectly.
Oil and butter- Use vegetable oil or canola oil for this recipe. Use unsalted butter and melt it. The combination of butter and oil creates a perfect, tender, and flavorful crumb.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- you can use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract for better flavor.
Salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt or table salt for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make the streusel topping
In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
Add the melted butter and mix until you get a sandy but moist streusel texture.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency using a fork or a potato masher.
Add the melted butter, oil, salt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter, pressing it down lightly so it sticks.
Bake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Top the banana bread with a light dust of powdered sugar and serve!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Choose ripe bananas. Use bananas that are ripe with brown spots. They’re sweeter and mash easily, adding moisture to the cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Do not open the oven door in the middle of baking, this can cause the bread from sinking in the middle. If you want to check its doneness, check it 5 minutes before the baking time ends.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist bread and not a dense and dry bread.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the bread to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bread will release easily from the pan.
- Check for doneness in the center. Every oven is different. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet batter).
- Let it cool completely. It firms up as it cools, so wait before slicing. Warm banana bread can fall apart if cut too soon.
Faq's
Add the streusel topping right before baking. Once you’ve poured the banana bread batter into the pan, sprinkle the streusel evenly on top and gently press it in so it sticks during baking.
I used a 12x5-inch loaf pan. This loaf pan is quite big. You can also use two smaller loaf pans.
Crumb topping and streusel are often used interchangeably, but technically, streusel usually includes cinnamon and sometimes spices, while a basic crumb topping is just flour, sugar, and butter.
Both are crumbly and buttery, but streusel adds a bit more flavor.
The number one mistake when making banana bread is overmixing the batter. Stirring too much after adding the flour can make the bread dense and tough instead of soft and tender.
Mix just until everything is combined.
Yes, skip the streusel topping and make it according to the instructions.
Storing
Store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure that you store the bread in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
If you're in a moist climate, store it at room temperature for up to 2 days and an additional 3 days in the fridge.
Freezing
First, let the banana bread cool completely. Once cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
For extra protection, place the wrapped bread in a resealable plastic freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Label the bag with the date and freeze for up to three months.
Thaw it by removing it from the freezer and letting it sit at room temperature while still wrapped until fully defrosted.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free - You can make this dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and the milk with vegan milk. Also, use dairy-free sour cream.
Variations
Nuts- mix ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter for a bit of crunch, or add them to the crumble mixture for added texture and flavor.
Spices- add allspice, ginger, or cardamom to the cake batter to give it a cozy, spiced vibe to complement the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Chocolate Chips- fold in ½ to ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the batter for extra sweetness and gooey bites.
Blueberries- gently fold in fresh or frozen blueberries for a juicy, fruity twist.
Coconut- add shredded coconut to the batter and/or streusel for a tropical spin that pairs perfectly with banana.
Serving Tips
Spread- spread a slice of this banana bread with peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, or even pumpkin butter!
Whipped cream- top each slice of this banana bread with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of extra cinnamon.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this banana bread.
Berries- top each slice of banana bread with fresh berries of your choice, like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
Glaze- whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons of milk (or cream) and a splash of vanilla extract. Drizzle it over the cooled bread for a sweet finish. Let it set for a few minutes before slicing.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- my favorite copper whisk set.
- Loaf pan
- Offset spatula
- Rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
More banana desserts
Banoffee Cake- This banoffee cake is made with soft banana cake layers filled with sliced bananas and dulce de leche and frosted with cream cheese frosting.
Banana Pudding Cupcakes- These banana pudding cupcakes are made with a banana cupcake base, filled with a banana pudding filling, and topped with whipped cream.
Banana Brownies- These fudgy banana brownies are made with ripe bananas, come together in one bowl, and are gooey in the middle, and have a crackly top.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. I love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Banana Bread w/ Streusel Topping
Ingredients
For the streusel topping
- 1 cup Flour AP, plain
- ½ teaspoon Salt table salt or kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup Butter melted, unsalted
For the banana bread
- 1 ½ cups Bananas mashed, ripe bananas
- ½ teaspoon Salt table salt or kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Sour cream
- ½ cup Butter unsalted, melted
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups Flour AP, plain
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make the streusel topping
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, kosher salt, and cinnamon, and mix with a spoon until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the melted butter and mix until you get a sandy but moist streusel texture.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency using a fork or a potato masher.
- Add the melted butter, oil, salt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter, pressing it down lightly so it sticks.
- Bake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Top the banana bread with a light dusting of powdered sugar and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Choose ripe bananas. Use bananas that are ripe with brown spots. They’re sweeter and mash easily, adding moisture to the cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Do not open the oven door in the middle of baking, this can cause the bread from sinking in the middle. If you want to check its doneness, check it 5 minutes before the baking time ends.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist bread and not a dense and dry bread.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the bread to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bread will release easily from the pan.
- Check for doneness in the center. Every oven is different. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet batter).
- Let it cool completely. It firms up as it cools, so wait before slicing. Warm banana bread can fall apart if cut too soon.
Ronit says
This is one of the best banana breads I've tried sooo good